The
Scottish Highlander

There they stand, the armies
of England and Scotland, poised again for bloody combat. A battle cry is sounded
as the Highlanders charge into the English ranks. With flashing swords and a
great clamour of shield upon breastplate, three lines of the English force are
cut down by the charging Scots.

"Pull back"
yell the English captains, but it is all in vein, for upon their flank charges
a horde of claymore wielding Scotsmen, yelling like the demons of hell. In a
flash of steel and a cracking of bones, another mass of English falls yelling
upon the moist Scottish soil.

Did you ever wonder how
the Scots could have defeated the English and claimed their freedom? Well, here
in lies the answer. It's all about tactics and unbeknownst to many, the Scottish
Highlanders had many a good one, both for individual and full on army to army
combat.

First, foremost and indeed
the most well known is the claymore, your basic great sword, if you will. This
hefty chunk of steel was most often used in a figure eight fashion in order
to break the sweet, sweet collarbones of the English which opposed them. Take
that arm movement!!

Second and much less known
is the three-stroke combo of the broadsword, shield and Dagger. With the Dagger
held in the shield arm's hand, a shield bash could be performed and quickly
followed by a downward stab and a slash of the sword. With this tactic, a line
of Scots could cut down three lines of their English aggressors.

Weapon and Armour
Proficiency: The Scottish Highlander is proficient with all simple and
martial weapons, light and medium armour, and shields.

War Paint (Ex):
Beginning 2nd level, the Highlander may apply war paint before the battle
begins. If the Highlander does this during battle, it counts as a full round
action. When wearing war paint, the Highlander gains a +1 bonus to his attack
rolls as well as a +5 bonus to intimidation checks. The war paint must be
reapplied before each battle.

Battle Cry (Su): At
4th level, the Highlander may let loose with a resounding Battle Cry, striking
fear and dread into the hearts of his enemies. The Highlander gains the Ki
Shout feat as class ability.

War Cry (Su): Upon
reaching 8th level, the Highlander has become a fearsome presence on the battlefield
and his mighty voice strikes great fear into the hearts of his enemies. The
Highlander gains the Greater Ki Shout feat as a class ability.

Hearty Charge (Ex):
At 3rd level, the Highlander has learned to use his body as well as his weapon
while charging his opponent. After a successful charge is made, the Highlander
may immediately make a bull rush attempt. The opponent receives no attack
of opportunity while this feat is performed.

Highland Charge (Ex):
At 7th level, the Highlander has perfected the art of slamming both body and
weapon into the opponent. After a successful Hearty Charge, the opponent takes
half again the damage of charge attack as he crashes to the ground.

Scotsman's Weapon:
The Highlander may choose his path at 1st level. He may either decide
to use the mighty claymore or the more conventional and highly effective broadsword,
shield and Dagger.

Claymore
Abilities:

Stunning Sword (Ex):
At 1st level, the Highlander learns to swing his claymore in a deadly figure
eight pattern while charging at his opponent. If the charge is successful,
the opponent must make a fortitude save (DC 15 + Highlanders Strength Bonus)
or be stunned for 1D4 rounds. This ability can be used in conjunction with
Hearty Charge.

Deadly Reach (Ex):
At 5th level, the Highlander has come to appreciate the length of his
mighty weapon. He may use his claymore as a reach weapon or to attack adjacent
targets. This must be designated at the beginning of the round.

The Thick of Battle
(Ex): After breaking through the line, it's important to have the skill
and speed to defend yourself against the army which you've so rudely entered.
With enemies moving in at all angles, the Highlander must use his giant sword
to defend against attacks from all sides. At 10th level, the Highlander may
make a Whirlwind Attack
against all foes within 5 ft as a standard action
when using the claymore.

Shield Bash (Ex):
At 1st level, the Highlander gains the Shield Expert and Two
weapon fighting
feats, even if he doesn't meet the requirements. The Highlander also gains
the ability to perform a shield bash with a buckler shield.

Three out of Two (Ex):
At 5th level, the Highlander gains the ability to wield a Dagger in the hand
of his shield arm (even when using a small shield). This allows the Highlander
to make an attack with his Dagger immediately following a successful shield
bash. The Dagger attack is made at the same attack bonus as the shield bash.

The Striking Shield
(Ex): At 10th level, the Highlander gains the ability to strike mighty
blows with his shield. His shield does damage as if it were a shield of bashing
(this includes the +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls). If the Highlander's
shield is already a shield of bashing, then the damage die is upped from 1D6
to 1D8.

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the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.

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